


Daffodils & Gardenias

by profslupin



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, F/F, M/M, Slow Burn, florist jean, tattoo artist jeremy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-04-21 10:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14282544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/profslupin/pseuds/profslupin
Summary: Jeremy Knox is a tattoo artist at Trojan Tattoos. Enter Jean Moreau, the cute, mysterious florist next door.





	1. Yellow Rose

**Author's Note:**

> mmm who doesnt love a good tattoo parlor/flower shop au

“Looks like someone's finally moving into that shop next door, Jere.” Alvarez craned her neck to get a better view out of the window from her position on the couch.

“Nice, finally! I think that vacant store was scaring people off from ours. Hopefully they’ll clean it up nicely.” Jeremy nodded enthusiastically, then added, “Do you think we should drop by now to say hi and ask if they need help or anything? Or should we just wait until they’re more settled? I wonder what they’re planning on doing with the place, imagine how convenient it would be if they opened up, like, a cafe or bakery or something there; the walk to the place on the corner is so _long_.”

Laila walked into the waiting room of the tattoo parlor and laughed. “Okay, Knox, calm down. I don’t see anyone except movers over there now, anyways. And _you_ ,” she said, shooting a playful glare in Alvarez’s direction, “Get those feet off the coffee table.”

“Aw, babe, c’mon, I only just got comfy,” Alvarez whined, widening her eyes and pouting at her girlfriend. “Although I can think of something a bit comfier,” she teased as she grabbed Laila’s hand and pulled her onto her lap, laughing.

“Yeah, okay, well I don’t have any appointments till two, so you guys can keep being disgusting and I’ll just be...” Jeremy laughed, gesturing vaguely at the door he was backing out of.

“Whatever, asshole, see you later!” Laila shouted after him, muffled by her girlfriend’s neck and the door closing behind Jeremy.

Jeremy slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked by the shop next door, slowing his pace to discreetly look into the large display windows.

Whoever was moving into the shop must be arriving later, he noted with disappointment as he saw only the two movers dutifully unloading their truck. It was a surprisingly easy task for them, however. Jeremy’s mysterious new neighbor had relatively few boxes for them to haul inside, which was odd considering he presumed they would also need furniture for the apartment atop the store, one that likely mirrored the layout of Jeremy’s own.

He hummed to himself and gave a curt nod to one of the movers as he continued his walk down the sidewalk. He supposed he’d just have to introduce himself another time.

* * *

 

It was another two weeks before Jeremy finally had the opportunity to head over with Laila and Alvarez. It was the day after the shop’s grand opening, which they had been forced to miss because Jeremy was fully booked for much of the day.

The nature of the shop had become apparent after the owner finally erected a sign and window decal reading _La Jonquille,_ with smaller script underneath proclaiming _Florist._ If the sign hadn’t given it away, it had soon become even more obvious as Jeremy had passed by and seen the shop quickly filling to the brim with a variety of flowers and plants.

How the new owner had managed to elude Jeremy thus far was a mystery to him, considering they were neighbors. Of course, Jeremy conceded, given how quickly they had managed to fill the small shop and have everything looking ready for business, he shouldn’t be surprised. They had obviously been keeping themselves busy. The few times Jeremy had found himself peering into the shop, he heard the distinct sounds of furniture scraping across wood floors and decided not to bother them while they’re working on setting up. He remembers how stressful setting up his own shop had been just before opening it, trying to get all the final details perfect.

“I can’t believe we’re finally gonna meet this mysterious florist. The suspense has been killing me,” Laila said, approaching the front doors of the shop, one of which was propped open with a pot of pansies

“Whoever it is could’ve tried to introduce themselves instead of staying locked up in this place. I knocked once but they just completely ignored me,” Alvarez pouted.

“I’m sure they were just busy setting everything up,” Jeremy defended, gesturing around at the shop as they passed through the door.

Alvarez’s retort was lost as she gaped at the interior of the store, so different from the poorly lit glimpses they had gotten through the front display windows. Different types of flowers for bouquets and arrangements lined the walls, while short aisles in the center of the shop had a wide variety of potted flowers and plants. The ceiling was adorned with numerous hanging plants whose leaves draped over the edges of their pots to graze the tops of the taller customers’ heads. They paused, taking in the scenery around them as a gust of early autumn air rustled the leaves and enveloped the trio in the scent of potting soil and flowers.

“Okay. Wow. I feel like I walked into a fairytale!” Laila whispered excitedly into Jeremy’s ear before tugging them further into the shop. “Looks like someone’s behind the counter back there!”

As they drew near, they spotted a short girl with white pastel hair standing behind the register.

“Why does she look exactly like you’d expect a florist in a place like this to look?” Alvarez whispered as they approached the counter.

“Hi! Are you the owner of this place? It’s amazing!” Jeremy gushed to the girl, reaching out his hand to shake hers.

“Well, thanks! I’m not the owner, actually, just a friend. I’m here to help with the grand opening.” She smiled sweetly up at the three of them. “I’m Renee.”

As she spoke, someone emerged from the back room of the shop. Jeremy’s eyes darted to the movement behind Renee and he could feel the pink tinge forming on his cheeks as he took in the tall man’s appearance, a grey sweater stretching across his broad shoulders and an apron tied neatly around his waist. His dark hair was softly curling above grey eyes as they looked over the three new faces, and Jeremy noted with a pang of curiosity the dark tattooed _III_ that was in stark contrast to the man’s pale skin.

“Ah, this is the owner, actually,” Renee said, standing on her toes to throw her arm around his shoulders and smiling up at him. Jeremy’s bright smile waned slightly seeing that interaction, but he quickly shook off the disappointment. He didn’t even know the man’s name yet, he had no reason to feel jealous over whatever relationship they had.

He saw Laila and Alvarez exchange a knowing glance out of the corner of his eye as he cleared his throat and flashed a wide grin at the pair. “I’m Jeremy. Knox. And this is Laila and Alvarez,” he said, gesturing to the two women in turn, who were both smirking in a way that could mean absolutely nothing good.

Laila gave a small mock salute as Alvarez said, “We’re all tattoo artists at the place next door, Trojan Tattoos. We came to meet our new neighbors.” She stared at the tall man expectantly as she spoke.

He stared back for a beat before responding curtly, “Jean Moreau,” with a small nod.

“Great to meet you, Jean!” Jeremy replied brightly, his voice higher than usual. It was utterly unfair how two words out of that man’s mouth had completely undone Jeremy’s cool - or at least, his attempt at cool - facade.

“Well, I’m really glad we got this chance to meet, your shop is amazing by the way, but I’m sure you’re busy with the grand opening and all and I have some appointments with clients soon, but hey, we should all get lunch together sometime since we’re working right next to each other! But yeah, uh, bye!” Jeremy rambled, then quickly dragged Laila and Alvarez to the exit of the shop.

“Bye, guys!” Laila called over her shoulder, barely audible through her laughter.

Once they were safely back inside their own shop, Jeremy collapsed onto the couch, throwing an arm over his eyes. He sighed melodramatically, wailing, “This is how I’m gonna die, guys. I hope you’ve written me a nice eulogy because I’m gonna die of embarrassment. Tell mamá I love her.”

“Can I have all your nice tattoo machines when you die?” Laila laughed, dropping onto the couch beside him as her girlfriend looked affronted.

“Why should you get them? I’ve been eyeing them since he bought them!”

Jeremy peeked out from under his arm and narrowed his eyes at them. “Don’t act as if you don’t steal them all the time anyways.”

Alvarez flapped a hand and ignored his accusation. “Whatever, that’s not the point. The _point_ is that our beloved friend Jeremy here has a crush on our new neighbor, the handsome and mysterious florist,” she swooned, clasping her hands together.

Jeremy fell onto his side, burying his head in Laila’s shoulder, mumbling something the girls couldn’t hear.

“Oh, stop being so pathetic, Jere. What?” Laila said nudging Jeremy up from his position.

“I _said_ that it doesn’t matter if I have a crush or not because he’s probably straight _and_ he has a girlfriend,” he said miserably, pouting up at them.

“I’m sorry, what? What makes you think he has a girlfriend?” Alvarez said, confused.

“Renee, obviously. Didn’t you see the way she hugged him? They’re probably together.”

“If I recall, she said she was his _friend_. You do know friends hug each other sometimes, right?” Laila looked to Alvarez for support, who nodded solemnly.

“Also, I’m gonna call it right now. She’s gay,” Alvarez said seriously, eliciting a groan from Jeremy.

“Ugh. I just don’t wanna get my hopes up. Even if they’re not together that doesn’t mean he likes guys, and even if he likes guys that doesn’t he’ll like _me_.”

“Okay, nope, not happening. We’re not having a pity party over some guy you met for two seconds before fleeing. Jeremy Knox, you are a goddamn catch, alright?” Alvarez exhaled through her nose and added, “You’re not doing yourself any favors if you give up before you try.”

“Plus, like, you barely know the guy. It’s entirely possible he’s actually an asshole. Just give it some time,” Laila said, throwing her arm around Jeremy.

“Yeah, all right.”

* * *

 

Jeremy marched towards the doors of La Jonquille, determined not to make a fool of himself this time. He was only going to invite Jean and Renee to lunch at Trojan Tattoos, after all. It was nothing Jeremy needed to work himself up over.

He stepped through the doors, taking a moment to appreciate the idyllic little shop before continuing towards the counter in the back, where Jean was absorbed in arranging a voluminous pink and yellow bouquet.

“Hey!” Jeremy grinned, moving to lean against the counter. “What’s this for?”

“A baby shower.” Jean glanced up, then returned his attention to the arrangement. He took another minute to add a few more small white buds to the bouquet, and stepped back, seemingly satisfied with his work. He raised his eyes, which widened when they saw Jeremy still standing there, having watched him finish up the bouquet. “Did you, um, need something?”

“Yes, actually! I wanted to know if you and Renee wanted to come by my shop for lunch with me, Laila, and Alvarez. I don’t know if you’re new to the area or not, but if you are, I figured maybe you don’t know all the good places to eat yet. You don’t have to, obviously, but-”

“Did I hear someone mention food?” Renee said, popping her head out of the storage room behind them. “We would love to, right?”

She smiled innocently up at Jean, annoyance flashing across his face for a moment before he recovered his neutral expression. “Fine.” Then he added, “I am new in town. I’m not familiar with the area yet.”

Jeremy smiled at him. “Hey, if you want, I’m also available for free guided tours. And I can introduce you to some of my friends if you don’t really know anyone here. I’ve been here a while, but I remember moving here and not knowing anyone but Laila and Alvarez - it can be tough.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jean said, noncommittally, looking back down at his bouquet. His eyes darted back up to meet Jeremy’s as he tacked on, “Thanks.”

Jeremy shrugged and smiled at them both. “Is twelve thirty good for lunch?”

“That sounds great,” Renee said, grinning at Jeremy in return.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys alone now, see you later!” Jeremy turned and waved at them over his shoulder as he left to return to his own store.

At least he didn’t run out of their shop like last time.

* * *

 

Jeremy was helping Laila clean up after their last clients before their lunch break when Renee entered the shop, followed closely by Jean.

“Heys, guys! You can go ahead and make yourselves comfortable, we’re almost done,” Laila called out, wiping down the last of her station.

She and Jeremy walked into the waiting room where Renee and Jean were sitting on the two armchairs near the coffee table and couch.

Alvarez soon joined them and asked, “So, what are you guys thinking for lunch? We were gonna order before you got here, but we decided to just wait and ask what you wanted. So, Thai, American, Greek, none of the above?” She looked from Jean to Renee as she took a seat on one of the armchairs pulling Laila down with her. Jeremy took the remaining space on the couch next to Jean, while Renee lowered herself onto the other plush armchair.

“Greek sounds alright to me if that’s what everyone else wants,” Renee said as she tucked her legs underneath her.

“Oh, I was hoping you would say that. There’s this great place that delivers, and it’s only like five minutes away…” Laila was rubbing her hands together, already getting ready to place their order.

Conversation flowed easily between them as they waited for their food to be delivered. They learned that Renee would be returning home, which was roughly three hours away, at the end of the week, and that she had taken time off of her job at a non-profit to help Jean set up his store. Jean and Renee shared a look at that, one that clearly said this was something they had argued over too many times to get into again. Alvarez shot Jeremy an infuriatingly smug look when Renee mentioned that she lived with her girlfriend, Allison, in their apartment, which caused Jeremy to groan and earned a laugh from Laila and Renee.

Jeremy rose from his spot when he saw the delivery man through the windows, eager for a momentary reprieve from Alvarez’s teasing. He set the food down on the coffee table in front of them all before sitting back down, a chill running through him when his thigh brushed against Jean’s.

He cleared his throat and turned to Jean after grabbing his sandwich from the pile, hoping to drag him into their conversation. “Can I ask why you decided to become a florist, Jean?”

Jean stared back for a moment, considering, then said, quietly, “No particular reason. I guess it was just because I enjoy the work.”

His words were delivered impassively, with little room for further questioning, and Jeremy took the hint to leave the matter alone, for now.

“Why did you all become tattoo artists?” Jean asked, although Jeremy wasn’t entirely sure whether it was curiosity that motivated the question or if he just wanted to steer the conversation away from himself.

Laila saved Jeremy from having to respond and said “Jeremy and I actually went to the same high school, and we had art together. We would always draw each other these terrible tattoo designs, and after we graduated we decided to do an apprenticeship together.” She smiled at the memory. “That was actually how we met Alvarez. After that we all saved up to help Jeremy buy this place,” she gestured at the shop around them with her gyro, a stray piece of lettuce flying out to hit Jeremy on his cheek.

“Oh, shit! Sorry, Jere!” Laila said, folding into herself as she snickered.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Laila as the others broke into laughter as well, with even Jean letting out a small snort at Jeremy’s misfortune. Jeremy’s lips twitched upwards at the sight, and he turned back towards the others with a roll of his eyes. “Okay, yeah, that was hilarious,” he peeled the strip of lettuce from his cheek and flung it back at Laila. “ _Anyways.”_

Their conversation picked back up, continuing on even after they had all finished eating. Jeremy noticed how Jean seldom participated unless he was directly spoken to, and did his best to actively include him. He didn’t want him feeling awkward or out of place among all these new people, especially since he was the one who had invited him in the first place.

And, admittedly, he was also really curious and wanted to learn more about Jean, like the fact that he didn’t have a TV in his apartment yet because he preferred books anyway, or that he grew up in France, _oh so that explains his accent,_ or that he’s actually a really good cook. And maybe half of these things were actually told to him by Renee, but the _other_ half was things Jean himself shared with Jeremy.

Well, with Jeremy and Laila and Alvarez, but _still._

Eventually though, it was the end of their lunch break, and they were forced to clean up and part ways again. As they were leaving, Renee suggested they all exchange numbers, and handed her phone over to the three friends. Jean stood stoically to the side as Renee made a group chat with the five of them so they would all have each other’s contact.

“I hope we’ll do this again before I leave,” Renee said as she approached the doors.

“Of course! You guys should join us for movie night at my apartment before you go!” Jeremy bobbed his head enthusiastically as they followed the pair to the door.

Renee laughed at Jeremy’s enthusiastic response as they all said their goodbyes, Renee and Jean leaving with a smile and wave from the former, and a polite nod from the latter. Laila laughed and nudged Alvarez so that she would glance over at Jeremy, who was watching through the window as Jean walked across the sidewalk.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Laila said, patting Jeremy’s head.

“What?”

“You have such a crush.”

“Maybe I have a little crush,” Jeremy conceded, knowing that denying it completely would be pointless, “but it’s not that bad.”

“You’ve talked to him… twice? And you spent all of lunch looking at him with your puppy eyes, basically ignoring everyone but him, trying to get him to join in the conversation. Which was sweet, don’t get me wrong, but _oh my god._ When you get a crush, you really get a crush.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m a passionate person, okay? It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I mean, if you say so…” Alvarez raised her eyebrows and turned away, snickering.

“Hey, we got your back. I just wish you could’ve chosen to crush on someone less broody,” Laila said. At Jeremy’s glare she shrugged and added, “Part of his charm, I’m sure. Whatever. We all have a type.”


	2. Rhododendron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an outing, not a date.

The next day found Jeremy, Laila, and Alvarez eating dinner together in Jeremy’s apartment. More takeout, because despite his best efforts Jeremy was a disaster in the kitchen. Jeremy was exhausted after dealing with some rather… _opinionated_ clients that day, but he still continually checked his phone, restless.

After the third time, Alvarez put down her plastic fork and turned her attention from her fried rice to him. “You know, he doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who would text first. Or are you at least waiting for a response?”

“Who doesn’t? What?”

Alvarez and Laila both levelled him with a stare for a few moments before Jeremy sighed. “Right. Jean. Of course. How do you know I wasn’t waiting for a call from a client or something?” he asked weakly.

“Are we going to dignify that with a response?” Laila glanced to Alvarez, who solemnly shook her head.

“Ok, so yeah, I’m waiting for a text from Jean. But it’s not as pathetic as it looks, I swear. Here,” he took his phone from the table and handed it to them, a conversation already open on the screen.

 

 ** _Jeremy_** _:_ _my offer for a tour still stands, if ur up for it :-P_

 ** _Jean_** _:_ _sure_

 ** _Jeremy_** _:_ _nice!!_

_when did u wanna go?_

**_Jean_** _:_ _whenever works well for you is fine_

 ** _Jeremy_** _:_ _are u free fri afternoon then?_

 ** _Jean_** _:_ _that sounds fine_

 ** _Jeremy_** _:_ _cool, ill see u then :-)_

 

The conversation ended there, and there were no new messages from Jean. “Wow. Jean texts just like he talks,” Alvarez muttered. She handed the phone back to Jeremy.

“There’s a really distressing lack of emojis on Jean’s part, I’d say. How old is he, again?” Laila asked, tapping her chin.

“Those messages are all from yesterday, and he hasn’t texted me at all since then. Isn’t it like an unspoken rule that whoever texted first last time doesn’t have to the next time? What if he’s just humoring me, but he really just wants me to get the hint and leave him alone?” Jeremy sighed again, propping his head up on his hand.

“Well, whether or not he texts you again, you only have to wait till tomorrow to try and get a feel for whether or not he’s like, an asshole or just an unenthusiastic texter,” Alvarez said to him.

“Yeah, I know I’m just being ridiculous. But, I mean, have you seen him? With his _face_ and his _shoulders_ ,” Jeremy said despairingly, throwing his arms out. Laila and Alvarez exchanged a glance as they tried not to laugh, and Laila patted him on the back.

“Chill out, Knox. Anybody who doesn’t want to fuck you is crazy,” Alvarez said with a snicker as she pulled out her phone and shot off a text. She looked back up to Laila and smiled wickedly at her girlfriend, who continued to console their friend from where he had moved his head to rest on the table.

* * *

 

The next day, after Jeremy finished up with a client who insisted on a Fred Flintstone tattoo for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom, he ran back up to his apartment. He passed by Laila who shot him a wink and thumbs up, and stumbled to his door before going to choose an outfit suitable for an outing with Jean.

An outing, of course, not a date or anything, so there was no need to overthink what he was going to wear, honestly he could just keep on the clothes he had now, and _oh who am I kidding of course I’m going to overthink everything about this._

“Should I text Laila and Alvarez for advice? They’d make fun of me forever, but…” Jeremy’s muttering trailed off as he stepped in front of his wardrobe.

All the options seemed daunting at first, but once he started combing through his shirts he suddenly felt as though he didn’t own a single decent article of clothing. Sighing to himself, he sat back on his bed and opened the chat with his two friends.

 

 **Jeremy** : i need clothes advice :((((

 **Alvarez** : pathetic

 **Jeremy** : dont bully me just tell me what i should wear!!!!

 **Alvarez** : lmao calm down ur hot no matter what ;^***

 **Laila** : u should wear ur red henley with the jeans u had on this morning

henley + skinny jeans + ur killer ass = damnnnnn boy ;)))

 **Jeremy** : thnx ily ur the best <3

 

Jeremy threw his phone on the bed and quickly grabbed the henley Laila suggested from his drawers. Throwing it on, he glanced behind him and saw his phone screen lit up with a couple text notifications from Alvarez and Jean. He opened the text from Alvarez first, seeing a good luck text with an obscene amount of water drop emojis. He quickly responded and then thumbed over to the new text from Jean, feeling his heart speed up embarrassingly.

 

 **Jean** : are you coming here or should i go to your shop?

 **Jeremy** : on my way over now :)

 

He grinned to himself as he bounded back down the stairs and through the shop, once again passing by Laila. She called out, “Good luck on your not-date,” and winked, making Jeremy laugh as he waved behind him, pulling open the door. He made the short walk to the florist’s doors and listened to faint chime as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He took a small breath to calm himself and then smiled brightly as he walked toward the counter where Jean was leaning, tapping on his phone.

“Hey! You ready to go out on the town?” Jeremy asked, grinning more widely at Jean.

“Lead the way,” the man replied as he slipped his phone back in his pocket and stepped away from the counter.

“Great! So, have you eaten lunch yet?”

As they left, Renee came downstairs from, presumably, Jean’s apartment. Waving, she said, “Have fun, guys! I’ll keep the shop safe for you, Jean.”

“I told you you didn’t need to. You can come too, if you want,” Jean replied, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be fun! Why don’t you join us?”

Jeremy did really like Renee, and they had texted a few times since lunch a few days ago, but he was secretly hoping she would deny the invitation, as it would give him the chance to spend the afternoon with Jean alone. Not that he would ever voice those thoughts aloud.

Maybe she sensed the slight insincerity in Jeremy’s invitation, although he liked to think he didn’t give anything away, but she politely refused. “No, thanks. La Jonquille’s only just open, I’ll stay here and help anyone that comes by. You guys try to have fun without me,” she said. Giving Jean an innocent smile, she added, “I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“If you’re sure.”

“We’ll see you later, then. I’ll bring him home safe, don’t worry,” Jeremy laughed, and headed towards the door.

“Bye, boys!”

Jeremy led Jean through the streets of the downtown area both their shops were situated in, pointing towards different buildings with words such as, “They have the best teriyaki around, I swear,” and, “If you go there, you should talk to the manager. But only if you have a while. She has the best stories, but they’re always really long.” Every building they passed seemed to have someone Jeremy knew, or an anecdote to share with Jean. There wasn’t a hole in the wall that he had yet to explore, his naturally outgoing and curious nature leading him to explore every inch of his neighborhood.

Jeremy loved the area, loved how close it was to the mountains, loved all the people and shops surrounding him, and he got a bit carried away in relaying that Jean. Pausing in front of a cafe, not Jeremy’s usual one, but a nicer one a few blocks away, he turned to Jean.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, like, domineer the entire conversation. I got a bit carried away, but feel free to just cut me off whenever that happens, I won’t mind, I kind of tend to ramble sometimes,” Jeremy chuckled, glancing up at Jean.

“No, it’s fine. Your stories were…” Jean hesitated, searching for the right word. “Interesting,” he finished lamely.

Jeremy, brightening up at his words, said, “Well, I figured we could stop here for some coffee, maybe get food if you’re hungry?”

He tried not to overthink his own words, not wanting Jean to think he was trying to… do what exactly? Jeremy wasn’t even sure, but he felt as though Jean was slowly starting to warm up to him, and he didn’t want to ruin his chances at friendship with the man by bringing his unreciprocated crush into things. You can’t accidentally go on a date with someone, can you? It’s not like friends never went to get coffee together, so Jeremy had no reason to worry about Jean misinterpreting the gesture.

Jean brought him back out of his thoughts by saying, “That sounds good,” and Jeremy grinned, leading them into the shop.

“You can grab a table while I order, do you know what you want? The cappuccinos here are really good, so are the wraps,” Jeremy said.

Jean turned from the menu and told Jeremy what to order, all while pulling his wallet from his pocket to give Jeremy money for his food.

Jeremy waved his hand away, saying, “Nah, you’re good. I’ve got this one.”

Jean seemed ready to argue with that, but appeared to think better of it. “Alright. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, flashing a grin.

He placed their order and turned, seeing Jean already sitting down at one of the small tables by the window. Jean was texting as he approached, but he set his phone back on the table as Jeremy sat down across from him.

Jeremy smiled at him, but he paused, unsure of how to continue the conversation. Jeremy wasn’t the best with awkward silences, and as the lull in conversation continued, he grew less confident. Jean seemed equally unsure of what to say, and Jeremy decided he may as well ask about something that had intrigued him since they met.

“I’ve wanted to ask,” Jeremy said, tapping his thumb to his cheekbone, “about this.” Jeremy knew that sometimes tattoos had personal stories, and worried that Jean might see the question as invasive, but as a tattoo artist himself, Jeremy couldn’t help but wonder, especially since it was on a place as visible as Jean’s cheekbone. “You don’t have to tell me, I’m just curious,” he shrugged before continuing, “It’s funny, a while ago this guy came in and had me cover up one just like it… Kevin, I think it was. Do you know him?” Jeremy rambled on, letting his nervousness lead his tongue away from.

At the mention of Kevin’s name, Jean paled and froze. Taking a few shallow breaths, he attempted to regain his typical unaffected composure, but Jeremy realized that line of questioning had struck a chord with him, enough so to make the stoic man lose his composure, if only for a few moments.

Regret washed over him and he silently berated himself for bringing it up. He scrambled to take back his words, rushing out a breathless, ”No, sorry, I shouldn’t have even asked, that was a dumb question, don’t even worry-”

His rambling apology was, fortunately or unfortunately, Jeremy couldn’t decide, interrupted by the barista carrying out a tray with their orders on it. Jeremy thanked him, giving Jean a moment to fully collect himself with a few more deep breaths before turning back to him.

He winced and opened his mouth to release another torrent of apologies, but Jean cut him off. “You don’t need to apologize,” he began, looking Jeremy in the eye, “I shouldn’t have reacted so… severely.” Jean seemed to struggle to get the words out, letting out a tiny frustrated sigh. “But I would prefer not to talk about it.”

He could clearly see that Jean’s frustration wasn’t directed at Jeremy, but at himself, and Jeremy gave him a small, sympathetic smile.

“Yeah, sure, sure. Of course, man,” he said, smiling even wider at Jean. He grasped for words, something to say to smooth over the conversation and return them to safer waters, but Jean beat him to it.

“Are you sure that’s enough sugar for you?” he asked dryly, eyes flicking to Jeremy’s meal, which consisted of a sugary cinnamon pastry and a caffe mocha, extra chocolate.

Jeremy laughed brightly, saying, “Okay, mom. How about this, when I get home, I’ll make sure to eat extra carrots and shit, just for you.”

Jean huffed out a small laugh, looking down at his own plate. Jeremy felt warmth spread through him at the sound, feeling his heart beat just that much faster because of it. He grinned once again, relieved at the fact that his fumble earlier hadn’t just ruined the entire outing with Jean. He could still feel the weight of some unsaid words between them, but knew better than to bring it up. He would rather have Jean share it at his own pace than to only tell Jeremy about it because he felt obligated or pressured to do so.

After that, conversation was able to flow more easily between them, although Jeremy still carried more of the conversation than Jean. Jeremy was beginning to see that Jean’s original standoffishness was due, in part, to his natural inclination to observe rather than comment. He appreciated that quality in Jean, if only because he often felt as though he lacked it himself, always wanting to strike up a conversation and often letting his excitement get the best of him, causing him to ramble. Jean never seemed to mind, though, always listening intently to his words. And the fact that he was less talkative than Jeremy simply caused him to hang onto every last detail Jean shared with him, the words feeling more precious and valuable to him given how sparingly they were offered up.

Their conversation eventually lead them to talk about their childhoods, as Jeremy had mentioned his siblings, naturally leading him to enthusiastically tell Jean about a particularly disastrous trip to the beach he went on with his family when he was younger.

“How many siblings do you have?” Jean asked curiously after another mention of a seemingly endless supply of Knoxes.

Jeremy smiled wide at the question, always eager to talk about his family. “Four. I’m the oldest, and then there’s Nolan, who’s 23, Sophia, who’s 19, Leandra, who’s 17, and our baby brother, Tanner, who just turned 14.” He laughed a little to himself before adding, “I feel bad for Mom, we were the worst kids. I don’t know how she handles all these teenagers at once, honestly, she must have superpowers or something. But what about you?”

“I’m an only child. I grew up in Marseille with my parents… At least before I, uh, moved to the States.” Jean faltered over his words at the end, and they were faintly tinted with sadness, maybe nostalgia. Jeremy’s smile slipped at the corners before he brightened back up, knowing that pity wasn’t what Jean would want from him.

“That must’ve been a hard transition for you, moving overseas. Do you get to see your family much?”

Jean snorted, before glancing up at Jeremy, looking almost surprised at his own sudden reaction. “Not really, no.”

Jeremy made a sympathetic noise and replied, “I know how much that can suck. I only get the chance to go back home for longer than a weekend for holidays, and my family only lives in northern California, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to visit family overseas.”

Jean nodded stiffly, then said, “I guess it’s hard to leave the shop unattended for such long periods of time.”

“I trust Laila and Alvarez to look after it, but they have their own relatives to go visit, too, you know? Plus, we tend to get a lot of bookings on holiday breaks. It gets kinda hectic,” Jeremy chuckled. “I can’t imagine how chaotic your shop is going to get with the holidays. I know there’s still, what, like two months? But I’d start mentally and emotionally preparing yourself now.”

Jean quirked an eyebrow, giving Jeremy an unimpressed look, and said, deadpan, “I think I’ll survive.”

“You say that now, but…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows at Jean with a mock serious expression, before breaking back out into a smile. “Nah, if anyone can handle it, you can.”

They left the cafe soon after that, carrying their conversation on the way back to their respective shops. Jeremy followed Jean into La Jonquille, and they turned to each other.

“Thanks for showing me around.”

Jeremy smiled up at Jean, trying to calm the jittery feeling in his stomach at those words, then said, “No problem. I had a good time - we should do it again.” Jeremy almost cringed at his own words, realising too late that sounded just like something people say after a date, which that definitely wasn’t, nevermind the nervous feeling Jeremy got just being around Jean, or the fact that when Jean had laughed earlier, he had honestly felt his heart speed up a little, and that was just a small laugh, barely a chuckle, he couldn’t imagine how he could possibly handle hearing Jean laugh a real, full body laugh, the kind that you can’t help from bubbling up, and oh no, Jean just said something to him didn’t he?

Yeah, fuck, he did. Jean was looking at Jeremy like he expected him to respond, and Jeremy floundered for a second before responding eloquently, “Wait, what?”

Jeremy saw the corner of Jean’s mouth twitch, barely noticeable, as he replied, “I said Renee is leaving soon, and I’m sure she’ll want to see you and your friends before she goes.”

“Aw, Jean, if you wanted to hang out with us, all you had to do was ask,” Jeremy crooned, trying to contain a laugh.

Jean stared blankly for a beat before Jeremy relented with a snort. “Alright, alright. You make grown men cower before your gaze, Jean Moreau. This Saturday night is movie night for us, up at my apartment, you guys should join us. I’ll even let you guys pick the movie,” Jeremy added with a wink. Or an attempt at a wink, at least.

Jean raised his eyebrows then said, “That sounds good. I’ll let Renee know.”

“I’ll text you the details later, then. See you!” Jeremy said, giving Jean one last smile and a wave, before he turned and returned to his own shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c


	3. Gladiolus

Jeremy often found himself lost in his work, the act of designing a new tattoo for someone incredibly cathartic to him. He was known for his more abstract designs, as he had always loved to create vibrant, living pieces. He would sometimes sit down and fill pages of his sketchbook at a time, combining hard geometry and natural, curving lines to create dynamic designs that mesmerized his clients and helped bring Trojan into the spotlight. When things felt stressful, or he needed a way to ease his racing thoughts, or simply when he needed an outlet for all his restless energy, he often turned to his sketchbook.

That was what he was doing on Saturday, having already met with his last client, who had commissioned Jeremy for one of his designs. He sat cross legged on one of the chairs, typically reserved for those getting their tattoo done, and was bent forward over the sketchbook in his lap. He was relieved to have the opportunity to get lost in his work like this, as he had been beginning to feel anxious at the thought of Jean coming to his apartment that night. He had been rethinking their conversation from the cafe, and couldn’t stop himself from wondering about the tattooed three on Jean’s cheekbone. He felt almost guilty pondering it like that when he knew that Jean wasn’t comfortable talking about it, but he couldn’t stop his racing thoughts, his imagination running away from him as he guessed at all the reasons Jean had the tattoo, and why Kevin’s name had made the man react like that.

Glancing up at the clock, Jeremy saw that he had spent an hour on the design without realizing, and that Jean and all the others would be showing up soon. He sighed and got up, stretching out the muscles that had gotten tense in his back from the position he had been sitting in, getting ready to go to La Jonquille to get his neighbors.

 

Jeremy opened up the door to his apartment with Renee and Jean in tow saying, “It’s only called movie night on a technicality. We always just end up talking over the movie like, ten minutes in.”

Renee laughed at that and said, “That’s fine, our friends are the same way.”

Jeremy grinned at her and Jean and led them further into his apartment, where Laila and Alvarez had already taken up residence on the couch. Connor had already arrived as well, and raised his can to them in greeting from where he had sunk into Jeremy’s plush armchair.

“I’m Connor, who I’m sure you’ve already heard much about.”

“Not a thing,” Jean said dryly, startling a laugh out of Jeremy.

Connor raised a hand to his chest and said, “Jeremy, how could you? I’m your dearest friend.” He gave Jeremy his best puppy dog eyes and added, “You can repay me by getting us pizza, since your fridge is a barren wasteland. And by that I mean I already ordered pizza, but when it comes you can pay for it.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes and gestured to the two behind him, “ _ Anyways _ , this is Renee and Jean.”

“Hey, guys!” Alvarez said, “Don’t mind Connor. We’ve all learned to ignore him.”

“Hey!”

Renee laughed and sat where Laila had patted the couch in invitation, greeting her friends as she did.

“Guess we’re taking the floor then,” Jeremy said, looking to Jean.

They all got settled and, after a brief but heated debate between Alvarez and Connor, put on an action movie half of them had already seen.

As predicted, it didn’t take long for them to lose focus on the movie, and all pretense was lost when the pizza arrived, everyone abandoning the movie in favor of conversation.

Laila and Renee were deep in an intent discussion about Renee’s job, while on the other side of the couch, Alvarez was leaning over to argue with Connor about the merits of the action movie genre over rom coms, with her stance being primarily, “explosions are cool.”

Jean and Jeremy were leaning back against the couch, a few pillows and a blanket scattered on the floor around them. Jeremy shifted, trying to get more comfortable, while Jean’s attention was still somehow on the movie rather than the conversations around them. Jeremy noted the small distance between them and his stomach fluttered at the proximity, realizing that if he inched his hand just a bit to the side, he and Jean would practically be holding hands.

Jeremy shook his head little, chasing away those thoughts, and twisted to face Jean. “How’s La Jonquille been doing?”

Jean’s attention shifted from the screen to him. “Good. Renee insisted on a website weeks ago, so we had orders before we even opened.”

“That’s cool! The shop looks amazing, so I’m sure you draw people in all the time.”

Jean nodded, then shot a glance around the room, noting how everyone was absorbed in their own conversations. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sorry for the other day. I know I made things uncomfortable. I was just caught off guard.”

Jeremy flashed Jean a smile, nodding. “Don’t worry about it. It was my fault for bringing it up, anyways.”

“You didn’t know. It’s fine.”

Jeremy gave Jean another grin and bumped their shoulders together as silence settled between them again. Jeremy shifted, uncomfortable. He tried to think of a new topic, something to take their minds off the incident at the cafe, but felt himself blanking.

Sitting close enough to smell Jean’s body wash was not conducive to higher thought processes, it seemed.

“I, uh, never asked you how you and Renee know each other. You guys seem pretty close, do you know her from school or something?”

Jeremy noticed Jean’s eyes crinkle slightly at the corners at the mention of Renee, the barest hint of a smile brightening his features. “No. We only met around a year ago, I think. Although in that time she has become my closest friend… I met her through a, uh, friend of mine, when I needed a place to stay, and we became friends quickly.”

Jean’s answers were typically restrained to a sentence or less, and seeing him speak of his friend so fondly made Jeremy grin with a warm feeling in his stomach.

“So you guys were roommates, too, then?”

“For a while. But then Allison asked Renee to move in with her. It was probably for the best. I needed to adjust to living on my own, and I’m really happy for her.” Jean looked down at his lap with a slight smile. He snorted and added, “She thinks I should get a pet, to help with the transition.”

“Jean,” Jeremy began seriously, causing Jean to look over to him, “you have to promise me, _ promise me _ that if you get a pet, you’ll let me come over and pet it. All the time. Especially if it’s a dog.”

Jean’s expression, which had become serious at Jeremy’s tone, relaxed as he huffed out a small laugh. “Of course.”

“I can even help you name it. I’m great at naming pets. I once had a fish named Sir Quinn the Bubbly. Also, I’m calling dibs on being the godfather right now, so don’t even think about giving that title to anyone else. Don’t worry though, I promise that if anything happens to you, I’ll raise them as I would my own.”

“I would expect nothing less. Keep my memory alive,” Jean said solemnly.

At his response, Jeremy couldn’t help but let his serious expression fall away as a laugh bubbled out. Glancing to Jean, he saw that the man’s face had broken out into a smirk, the biggest smile Jeremy had seen on him yet.

The way his smile, even such a small one, lit up his face, causing his eyes to crinkle and shine, made Jeremy’s breath catch, and he had to stop himself from staring. Looking down at his lap, he coughed and said, “I wasn’t kidding about letting me pet whatever animal you get, although I do kinda see you as more of a cat person…” Jeremy trailed off as he tapped his chin thoughtfully, “Or maybe, like, one of those huge ass lizards. The bearded dragons! I can totally imagine you taking one of those for a walk around the neighborhood…” He snickered at the mental image his words produced, and his eyes darted back to Jean, who was giving him a truly awe-inspiring unimpressed look.

He laughed again as he relented, “Maybe not, then.”

“Oh, come on, Connor! At least action movies are interesting! There’s fighting! And - and explosions! Rom coms are all the same boring plot about straight white people that don't know how to actually communicate!”

Jeremy and Jean were interrupted by Alvarez’s outburst, and she turned to the rest of the group.

“I’m right, right?”

“I hate to be the one to break this to you, but action movies are also all the same plot with a bunch of straight white people,” Jeremy said, turning around to face her.

“Isn’t that every genre?” Jean asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Alvarez sunk into the couch, muttering, “Well,  _ yeah, _ but at least action movies are  _ cool _ .”

“Hollywood is just a really flawed industry, babe, I’m sorry,” Laila said, patting Alvarez on the knee. 

Connor looked to Renee for help, saying, “C’mon, romantic comedies have their flaws, but in the end it’s a heartwarming story about two people who love each other, right, Renee?”

Renee nodded, then said diplomatically, “I don’t think they’re really all that comparable, anyways.”

Connor stuck his tongue out at Alvarez then said, “All I said was that we should watch Leap Year, man.”

 

The night continued on like that, with even Jean feeling comfortable enough with the group to chime in occasionally. He and Laila especially seemed to be getting along, but as it started getting later, Renee said she would need to be heading out soon.

Jeremy showed all the guests out, everyone saying their goodnights outside Trojan Tattoos. Renee was the last one lingering in the doorway after she waved Jean back into their shop.

She turned to Jeremy with a smile and said, “I wanted to tell you… I was kind of worried about leaving so soon after Jean moved here. He kept saying he would be fine, that I don’t need to worry about him, but I know it’s still really hard for him to be alone. I know that he can be pretty quiet and hard to read sometimes, but he actually really likes you. To be honest… I don’t think he’s ever warmed up to someone so quickly… And I’m just really glad that I know I’m leaving him with some friends that’ll have his back when I can’t.”

Her words sent warmth through Jeremy’s body, and he felt his cheeks warm with a slight blush. “It’s really great that he has a friend like you, you know. I can already tell you’re like family to him.”

At that, it was Renee’s turn to blush, and she smiled happily. “We have a lot in common, actually. We come from similar backgrounds, I mean. He likes to keep those things… locked away. He doesn’t really talk about it, but I can already tell having you in his life will be good for him.” She grinned up at Jean, and added, “And I want you to know, that if you ever do anything to hurt him, I will not hesitate to come back here and make what I do to you look like an accident.”

Jeremy almost laughed at her words, as they were so at odds with what he had seen of Renee so far, with her pastel hair and delicate cross necklace, but when he saw the serious look in her eyes, the laughter died in his throat and he nodded, wide-eyed.

“Good.” With that, the look in her eyes was replaced with her usual gentle demeanor and she said, “It was great having the chance to hang out with you guys, I’m gonna visit soon!”

She waved to Jeremy as she walked back to Jean’s shop, and Jeremy waved weakly after her, turning to return to his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) who can resist renee threatening jere for her bff

**Author's Note:**

> yes i am re uploading this bc i edited the early/middle chapters a ton yes i am an impulsive binch
> 
> find my tumblr at [jeanmoraeau](https://jeanmoraeau.tumblr.com/)


End file.
